


Just Once

by ThatOneZora



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Haven't decided whether Link will show up or not :P, Minor Original Character(s), Originally Posted Elsewhere, Possibly More Tags To Come, Slow Burn, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2020-07-12 14:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19947940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOneZora/pseuds/ThatOneZora
Summary: Throughout the cycles, Ganondorf has been little more than a puppet. His sole purpose- to cause pain and torment. He is darkness. Yet... there's something so appealing about Zelda's light. Just once, he'd like to break out of his role. For one iteration of the cycle, he wants to be a part of her light.





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo, first fic posting here. Hope anyone who stumbles across this enjoys!

The dreams were constant and unyielding. Whenever he wished to rest, visions of past horrors and cruelties filled his mind. There was no escape. It was as if the original demon, Demise himself, was trying to shape him into the monster he was created to be. Yet... in the dreams of darkness, there was always a light. A beacon of hope for the world to be saved from the monster he was destined to become. Maybe, that light would be hope for him too.

Prince Ganondorf was eight when he first learned of the land outside the desert. His caretaker, Aela, had insisted on bringing him before the Hylian Royal Family. Something about "representing the Gerudo" or other. All the young prince cared about was how cold this land was compared to the deserts he knew so well. He shivered a bit in the carriage as Aela rambled about how he was to behave.

"Prince!" She snapped, causing the future monarch to jump, "We're you even listening?"

He sighed. "Yes... mostly…"

"Your highness! This meeting is important! The people of Hyrule do not think highly of our people. It's our job to help change this." The prince winced. The Hylians had definitely mistreated his people, but the Gerudo hadn't been exactly the picture of civility to the Hyrulian people either.

"But why do we have to go to Hyrule? Why can't they come to the desert?" Ganondorf whined. He knew exactly why the royals would never set foot in the desert. The land that holds the people of the Great King of Evil was not a place to be taken lightly, especially by foreigners. The current truce between the Hylians and the Gerudos was shaky at best and completely falling apart at worst.

"You know why, little Prince..." Her voice held sorrow. Aela was the daughter of the Gerudo matron, the oldest woman in the tribe. Aela's mother had lived through the previous Gerudo king's rampage throughout the land. It had been close to a century since then, but it was said that the world was still picking up the pieces in the aftermath.

 _A world on edge is one ripe for the taking._ The voice that Ganondorf heard was neither his own nor Aela's. It was rich, yet cold and cruel. Although he tried not to think about it, he recognized the voice. It was the source of the dark whispers in his dreams. The one that told him he was a monster and that his destiny was to ruin lives. He didn't want to, but who was a child to fight fate?

As the carriage neared the town, Aela blocked the windows. "What are you doing that for?" Ganondorf questioned.

"You know the truce is shaky. It's... for the best that the townsfolk don't know we're here for now. The young prince huffed and sat back in his seat. He had a feeling this would be a long, drawn out political conversation. The major downside to being a prince was all the politics and diplomacy involved. Ganondorf would much rather be training or exploring back home in the desert, but he had to be here in order to try to salvage the alliance between his people and those of Hyrule.

The windows of the carriage may have been shut, but the voices of the people still carried. They people were awed and curious. "Whose carriage is that?" "Why are the windows shut?" "Which kingdom is visiting?" "I bet it's that Zora princess." "Are you serious? It HAS to be the Labrynnian royal family." "Is... is that the Gerudo seal?!”

The crowds were hushed after that, and Aela fidgeted nervously. Soon enough, however, the carriage reached the gate to the castle grounds. Once the sound of moving metal had subsided, the horses stopped and the doors opened. Aela exited the carriage, followed by Ganondorf, who suddenly felt very small surrounded by the Hylian Royal Guard. One stepped forward and silently gestured for the Gerudo pair to follow.

_See? Not even a proper greeting. How **dare** they treat the Gerudo Prince in this manner? They deserve punishment. _

The young prince shook his head, trying to distance himself from that malicious voice. Rude or not, the royals had every right to be cautious after what his namesake did. Aela grasped his hand as they were lead through the castle grounds. Every now and then, the very shadows of the palace seemed to jump. Even though the prince and his caretaker were alone, it seemed like the entire kingdom was on edge.

The guard pause before a great, intricately carved door deep in the palace. Across its surface was a chronicle of the previous war. Ganondorf 's eyes fell on the great beast fighting the hero in the door's center. He felt a strange mix of horror and awe at the beast. It was powerful and terrifying. Soon enough, his trance was broken by the door opening. Before him, Aela, and the guards escorting them were the members of the royal family.

The King, grandson of the previous hero and princess, looked kind, but guarded. Although he knew the prince was not responsible for the previous war, having the same name made it hard for him to forget the past. Even so, he was the first to approach the Gerudo pair.

"Welcome to Hyrule," he said with a slightly forced smile, "I trust that your travels went well.”

Aela shook his hand and glanced at Ganondorf, who was now decidedly shivering in the stone castle. She paused a bit before speaking, calculating her tone and phrasing very carefully. "Your kingdom is beautiful, but I'm afraid it's a bit cooler than our own desert. Our prince hasn't traveled much, so would one of your servants be so kind as to find him something warm?”

Now the Queen stepped forward. She had never known any harm from the Gerudo, so her gaze was kind. "Of course! It's bad enough you had to come all this way, you shouldn't have to be miserable as well." she smiled, and addressed her daughter. "Zelda, would you take our guest to the garden? It's so beautiful outside, and you children should go play. Just be sure to take him to storage and get him a jacket first. We'll join you and have lunch once we're done talking.”

"Okay Mama! I'll show him my secret way!" the bubbly little princess chattered excitedly. She grabbed Ganondorf's hand, and then they were off. Aela and the king both went stiff.

"Are... are you sure you don't want to keep an eye on him here?" Aela asked.

Again, the queen smiled. "I think Zelda will keep him too busy to get into any mischief. Or at least any without her. Besides, Zelda's nurse will keep track of them."

Aela glanced down the long corridor and smiled a bit. Royal or not, Ganondorf and Zelda were children, and children should play, not debate politics.

"Now," said the king, gesturing to the meeting room, "about this renewed truce..."


	2. Acquaintances

Ganondorf put on a jacket while Zelda chattered on and on about the castle. "My favorite part is all the secret passages! What's your castle like?”

Ganondorf shrugged. "It's not really a castle. We have one big fortress where everybody lives. We have a big ar'makt court on the roof, though.”

The young princess tilted her head to the side and adopted a curious expression. "What's our-maked?” 

Ganondorf thought for a moment, trying to recall all those boring talks about Hyrule so he could explain in a way she would understand."It's a game," he said at last, as Zelda started leading him down another endless corridor. "The two teams try to capture stones from their opponents' side, and whoever has the most at the end wins.There are lots of crazy rules about how you get the stones and how you bring them back, but it's a lot of fun.”

Zelda smiled brightly. "That sounds fun! Someday, when I visit your kingdom, you gotta teach me, okay?" she asked hopefully.

The prince paused for a moment.The Hylians would never let their princess venture into the desert.Still, what would be the harm in agreeing?

"...Alright, if you ever come to the desert, I'll teach you.”

"Yay!" she exclaimed. "Oh, we're here!”

Zelda and Ganondorf stood before a wall with a single candelabra on it.As Ganondorf stared blankly, Zelda jumped up and grabbed the center candle.Suddenly, a small section of the wall opened, leading to a dimly lit hallway.Zelda giggled and whispered "This is my secret way to the garden.Don't tell nobody!"Before the Gerudo prince could respond, Zelda pulled him behind her and shut the door, leaving no evidence that they had ever been in that hallway.

It wasn't long before they emerged in a corridor leading to the spacious palace gardens. The young Gerudo couldn't help but gape at all the different flowers and trees. While there were small gardens in the fortress, they had none of the variety present here. The little prince couldn't help but be jealous of the lush greenery. Zelda cocked her head to the side, staring at her companion. "Don't they have flowers where you live?” 

Ganondorf didn't take his eyes off the garden as he responded, "Not like these.”

Zelda looked thoughtful as she regarded her companion. "Next time you visit, I'll make sure to have some flowers you can take back with you. Deal?" She held out a pudgy hand.

Smiling amusedly, Ganondorf shook it, “Deal."

— 

The children were joined later by their guardians, who found them lying in the center of the garden telling each other stories about their homes. During lunch, Zelda reiterated much of what Ganondorf had told her to her parents, only needing minor corrections from the prince. The adults found the entire situation quite endearing, despite the king's former hesitation.

When it was time for the Gerudo pair to return home, Zelda shoved a note, written in her childish scrawl, into Ganondorf's hands. "You gotta promise to write to me, okay?" She stared him in the eye, looking incredibly determined. 

Ganondorf took advantage of the few inches of height he had on the princess and ruffled her hair. "Will do."


	3. Pen Pals

Dear Zelda,

I'm finally ten! That means I get to start training with real swords! I'm not used to holding weapons in one hand yet, but Aela has been teaching me a lot. I even got to see a really cool sword that old Gerudo Kings used to use. Aela told me it'll be mine when I'm older, but it's so big I can't really imagine it. I'll show you when it really is mine. Sooner, if you can convince your parents to let you come visit.

I've also been learning a lot about what it'll mean when I'm king. I'm excited, but also kind of nervous. There's a lot that my people expect of me. A lot I don't know if I can do yet. But when I'm king, I'll be able to do whatever I want.

I really wanna see you again soon. It was nice having someone know what it's like to be royal. I have a lot of cousins, but none of them really get how scary it is. All they care about is what we play when we're not training or in lessons.

I have to stop writing now. It's almost time for another sword lesson. Maybe I can visit again soon.

Your friend,

Prince Ganondorf

—

Dear Ganondorf,

Have you ever seen snow? Today I turned thirteen, and it snowed! Mama joked that it was Nayru's birthday gift to me since I LOVE snow.

Some of the royal advisors said I'm going to start getting lessons in court matters in the spring. Mama told me we're gonna be visiting Zora's Domain then. I hope Mama and Papa don't spend so much time talking that I don't get to swim with Rutara. She's the Zora princess.

I think you and Rutara would get along. She's really sneaky and good at pranks, but she's also really nice to... everyone honestly. And she's really good at making things. Last time I visited, she made a pretty necklace for me out of gems she found in the domain.

I'm still trying to convince Mother and Father let me visit the desert. You still need to teach me that game you told me about when we first met. Maybe they'll let me go if I can convince Impa to go with me.

Until next time,

Zelda

—

Dear Zelda,

I turn 18 tomorrow and officially become king. It's equal parts exhilarating and... terrifying. No one seems to understand the burden I'm inheriting. Well, no one besides you. The hopes, the dreams, the expectations of my people all rest on me.

Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about my new title. Between the two of us, maybe we can finally make a lasting peace. Some of the elders are still bitter about days gone by, but I truly believe life is improving. For all of us.

...I want to be better. Better than the other kings, better than the other Gerudo rulers in general. It's slow, but I'm growing.

I have to be ready for the ceremonies tomorrow, but I'll write again soon. Maybe once I'm King I'll be able to visit again.

Wish me luck!

Ganondorf

———

Dear Ganondorf,

It's been a while, hasn't it? I’m sorry I haven’t written since your birthday. Mother and Father have been bringing me to more and more royal council meetings. While I find most of the proceedings fascinating, some of the councilmen are a bit... long-winded.

It's hard to believe I'll be sixteen by the end of the year. Apparently Father has some grand party planned. Perhaps you can join the proceedings? It would be a refreshing change of pace from councilmen, nobles, and servants. I haven't even seen Rutara in almost a year.

I haven't been able to get away from the castle much since coming into more of my political duties, although Impa has promised to get me a break soon.

...I really hope you can join the party. It's been too long since I've had a real friend at one of these events.

Yet another meeting is being called. I'm afraid I'm getting tired of all the bureaucracy involved in my title. I'll make sure an invitation to my party finds its way to you. I hope to see you soon.

As always,

Zelda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl, this is my favorite chapter of the ones I have completed. I loved writing in the voice of two characters as they grew.  
> A little housekeeping because I can see myself forgetting before it actually comes up in story:  
> Ganondorf has 2 years on Zelda. He's a summer baby while Zelda was born in the Hylian equivalent of December, about a week before the winter solstice.  
> Rutara Is an OC who'll come up in later chapters sporadically. She was created to be a female friend of Zelda that was still more or less on her level. Give Zellie friends more often :P.


	4. Chapter IV: Distant Friends Pt. 1

Rutara wasn’t fond of parties, if she was really being honest. She found most court parties to be stuffy, stifling affairs, and if she could have left without making some kind of political slight, she probably would have. Most of the time, anyway. Zelda was her best friend besides her brother, so she would make exceptions for her. After all, misery loves company.

At the moment, she was wearing a dress that was some sort of bizarre hybrid of Hylian high fashion and the distinct lack conventional clothing of the Zora. A fitted bodice and an open-front, sheer skirt. Its only positive point was that it accented her deep purple scales. She hated it, and made a great show of complaining about it while lying sprawled on Zelda’s gigantic bed.

Zelda had laughter in her voice when she said “Why don’t you just leave it here then and wear your sash?”

Rutara rolled over and rested on her elbows as she faced her friend. Thank goodness whoever designed this crazy garment at least had enough sense to cut the sleeves short enough to let her fins free. “Some suitor or other commissioned it for me. Father said I had to at least wear it once. Apparently it’s supposed to be wearable on land and in the water,” she gave a sharp smile, “We’ll see how it holds up hunting tomorrow.”

Zelda turned from her jewelry box, holding up two pairs of earrings and grinning. “I can already see you ‘accidentally’ ripping it on coral. Now, green or blue?”

Rutara looked Zelda up and down, contemplating. “Blue. They make your eyes look brighter.” She rolled onto her back again, reached out, and plucked a small chocolate off of the tray sitting on Zelda’s bed. “So,” she said around the candy in her mouth, “Who all is comin’ to this shindig?”

Zelda slumped forward and groaned. “The usual. Labrynnian delegates, the Holodrum royals, representatives from the major tribes of Hyrule—“

“Oh yeah, is the red-head coming?”

Zelda’s spine went rigid as her eyes widened. Rutara hadn’t meant to put her on edge with that question, but she had. “I… haven’t heard from him since his last letter, just before his coronation.”

“You didn’t go?” Rutara asked holding her arm up and inspecting her nails.

“Did you pay attention when we had to learn about the other Hyrulean cultures?” Zelda said with a hand on her hip, “Gerudo ceremonies are sacred and closed to outsiders.”

The Zora on her bed squinted and dropped her arm back to the bed. “Lame.”

Zelda sighed a bit, and turned back to her vanity. “Besides,” she spat bitterly, “I’m still not allowed to enter the desert. Even after Impa agreed to go with me, Father won’t let me go.”

Rutara hummed as she sat up and moved to get off the bed. She glanced towards Zelda’s balcony as she heard the telltale sound of hooves meeting the cobblestone of the road outside. “Fun topic time,” she said as she grabbed the tray of candy and then walked over to place a hand on Zelda’s shoulder. “Let’s watch the attendees come so we can make fun of their outfits while they can’t hear us.”

The Hylian princess allowed herself to relax as she laughed a bit, snatching one of the chocolates from the tray. “Deal.”

—

Ganondorf had honestly meant to write sooner, to tell his friend about everything that had happened since his coronation. However, there was _a lot_ to cover, and he simply hadn’t had the time to devote to letters that he had in his youth. Suddenly being completely and utterly in charge of trade, guard schedules, diplomatic relations, training guidelines, and problem solving for his tribe had taken some getting used to, but he believed he was falling into stride. And, praise Din, the dark whispers from his childhood were less frequent when he threw himself into his work for his people.

Riding in his carriage, he held the formal invitation to Zelda’s party that was enclosed with her last letter. It had been about three months since she had written to him. Hopefully she would understand. Hopefully he wouldn’t cause too much of a stir at the party.

It had been ten years since he last set foot in Hyrule castle, and he and Aela hadn’t stayed long enough for Ganondorf to remember much of it. He and Aela both remembered being cold in the summer, so she had taken great lengths to have warmer clothing tailored for a winter celebration. He had been miserable when he first set out from the desert, but now he was thankful for the layers and furs his caretaker had procured. He would have to apologize for his whining later.

As he stepped out of the carriage, he marveled at the light dusting of snow in the courtyard. Everything glittered slightly in the light of the obscene number of torches lit throughout the castle grounds. He took a deep breath and did his best to look relaxed and non-threateneing.

Still, the guards stiffened a bit as he approached. Ganondorf did his best to ignore the dark, indignant voice in the back of his mind as he showed his invitation.

—

“Oh! Oh! Ten o’clock!” Rutara exclaimed, elbowing Zelda, “Councilman Idris is wearing that _dreadful_ hat from last year!”

The two girls descended into laughter as they gawked at the feathery monstrosity said councilman paraded around in. Zelda leaned forward a bit before pointing sharply at an approaching carriage. “Ten rupees says the Holodrum prince is wearing pink and green again,”

Rutela snorted. “He wore that at Rilan’s coming-of-age in summer,” she said, remembering her brother’s own party. “I say it’s purple and orange this time.”

As Zelda kept an eye on the Holodrum carriage, Rutara noticed another just entering the castle’s outer gate. As it rolled into the main grounds, She could just barely make out a seal she wasn’t as familiar with. She knew she had seen it before, and she mentally cycled through the tribes of Hyrule before it finally clicked in her mind.

“Called it!” Zelda exclaimed beside her, causing the Zora to jump. Indeed, the prince of Holodrum appeared to be in costume as a moldy wildberry, however Rutara had something else on her mind.

“C’mon!” Rutara said, grabbing Zelda’s wrist and half-dragging the Hylian princess off the balcony. Zelda stumbled as her friend pulled her, offering some— but not much—resistance.

“Where? Why—“ Zelda tried to form a proper question, but it was a bit hard with an energetic Zora weaving around her furniture and out to the hall.

“Trust me!”

—

The main hall of the castle was definitely the focal point of the party that night. The pillars, staircases, and railings of the balcony were bedecked in evergreen. Hundreds of lanterns had been strung throughout the space, and chandeliers blazed brightly. Everything was cast with a golden glow. This, coupled with a small group of court musicians playing cheery tunes, gave the hall a warm, comfortable atmosphere. Between two large staircases, space had been designated as a dance floor. The remainder of the space was filled with people, some sitting at tables and others walking around and mingling. Soft music from a string quartet filled the space above the idle chatter of guests.

Ganondorf tried to ignore the gawking stares as he made his way into the main hall. This was complicated by the fact that he was intently looking around for Zelda, despite having no idea how she had changed in the ten years since they last saw each other. A handful of the other guests would attempt to be friendly with the Gerudo king, however it was easy to see the fear in their eyes.

From the balcony above, Ganondorf just barely caught a flash of royal purple followed by blue and gold. He tried to focus on said flash, but it quickly wove through the crowds both on the upper floor and the staircase, so he made his way closer to where the flash was headed, hoping to see it better.

—

Rutara, it seemed, was as adept at swimming through crowds as she was through water. At least thrice, Zelda would’ve lost the Zora had either of them not maintained an iron grip on the other.

Despite some indignation at being dragged around like this at her own birthday ball, Zelda couldn’t help but smile as her friend led her through small breaks in the crowds. It almost seemed like a complicated dance as they read the movements of the people around them to find gaps in the throng.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Rutara suddenly stopped. Once Zelda’s momentum carried her passed her friend, the Zora shoved her even farther forward. Zelda laughed and turned back towards her friend. “Ruta—!” she called in mock-indignation.

Rutara simply smirked, pointed ahead of where she had shoved Zelda, and dashed off again.

_Oh._

—

_Oh._

It had been about ten years since he had seen her. Whenever Ganondorf had pictured Zelda, she had started that sweet six-year-old. As they wrote to each other and grew, he started envisioning how he thought she looked. He pictured her closer to the height of his cousins, but maybe a bit more delicate. Still, how he thought of her still tended to skew younger. But the young woman in front of him?

_She’s beautiful._

She was a picture of grace. A goddess given mortal form.

He heard a dark chuckle. _You’re not entirely wrong._

_Just for tonight,_ the young king thought, _let me be._

—

He had grown taller than she expected. His fiery red hair was pulled back by the traditional Gerudo headpiece. Even through the finery he wore, Zelda could see he had grown strong as well. However not everything had changed, his eyes were still that soft gold, even if they looked a bit harder than they had when they were children.

She had changed too. Ganondorf saw she held herself with a grace that hadn’t existed in their childhood. Delicate, but wise. She held a power different than his, but just as strong.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, content in seeing each other again. When the musicians struck up a new tune, the trance was broken, and Ganondorf and Zelda broke into wide smiles.

“Would you care to dance, Princess?” Ganondorf said softly.

“It would be my pleasure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo after sitting on this chapter for... way too long (blame college, family troubles, and then COVID-19), I realized this chapter was getting way too long and decided to split it in two. That'll give my brain a better break and (hopefully) get the next chapter out sooner. Hope you guys like this one!


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